Camaraderie
by Gyatso15
Summary: Non yaoi. When Tenten gets attacked on a mission, Lee, Neji, and Gai step in to help her. But the rescue backfires, and Neji and Lee wind up caught by the enemy. How will they escape their captors? Lee and Neji friendship
1. Assignment

Okay, let's get this out of the way first:

**Disclaimer** I don't own Naruto.

I've been reading torture fics lately, and I wanted to try my hand at one. This is probably going to be mediocre, but…hey. I also wanted to try my hand at a Naruto fic, starring Neji and Lee!

Contrary to what I've put in my profile (about finishing fics before posting them), this story isn't finished; I'll write about a chapter a week or so. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, with stories I'm working on (nonfiction) and reports, and, of course, _school_…grr…

There might be some OOC-ness, but hopefully not too much. I wrote Tsunade as best as I could, but I don't really know her character that well, so…I kind of just improvised. She doesn't have a big part, though.

Anyway, enough of me babbling. On to the fic!

**Chapter One: Assignment**

"Neji-san!" Rock Lee called as he approached the Hyuuga one clear, cool autumn morning.

Neji turned. "What, Lee?"

"Hokage-sama wants to see us," answered Lee, not breathless though he'd obviously sprinted from the Godame's office.

"Do you know why?" the prodigy wanted to know.

"A new mission, I think," answered Lee. "I am not sure, however."

Neji shrugged. "For our whole team or just the two of us?"

Now it was Lee's turn to shrug. "I don't know. Let's go find out! I'm sure that if Gai-sensei and Tenten-san are on the mission, they will have been told as well! Now, let's race to the building!"

Neji agreed, and the two raced off towards the Godame's office.

x-x-x

Tsunade peered over the large pile of papers on her desk at the shinobi assembled in front of her. Gai and Tenten had shown up five minutes after Lee and Neji, the former of whom had won the race, but only by a bit.

"You wanted to see us, Tsunade-sama?" said Tenten respectfully.

"Yes, yes," said the Hokage. "There's a mission I've got for all of you…where'd I put that damn thing?" She shuffled through her papers, picking up stacks and re-stacking them on other stacks precariously.

"Ah, here it is," she said after a few moments of searching. She was holding up a rather official-looking document. "This is a C-ranked mission. You'll be escorting a man and his family from a safe-house in another village to Konoha. This man's rich and important, though—so don't screw it up!"

"Hai!" said Lee. "Is there anything else?"

"Yes, I'm sure there is…" Tsunade trailed off, looking into the distance. Then she looked at Gai's team and snapped her fingers. "Yes. That's right. The other village is the Hidden Village of the Clouds."

x-x-x

Neji started violently. The Hidden Village of the Clouds… "No…" he breathed. "_No_…"

"What's wrong, Neji?" asked Tenten worriedly. "Do you feel okay?"

"N-not the Cloud Village," Neji managed to say. "Why…_why?_"

He'd accepted his father's death, but this—he could not bear to take a mission in the village…not the very village whose leader had been the cause of his father's death…

It was true—he had accepted his father's death, but that didn't mean that he took it lightly—he still missed his father greatly, and couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of resentment towards Hiashi.

"Excuse me, Tsunade-sama," said Gai. Taking Neji's arm, he led the Hyuuga away from the others in the room. "Is this about your father?"

"Yes," said Neji hoarsely. His throat felt slightly choked. He swallowed hard and looked his sensei in the eye.

"It's still early…" Gai said, more to himself than to Neji. "Neji, I know this will be hard on you, but…well…you know what you have to do."

"Yes," repeated the teenager.

Sensei and student turned to face the Hokage. "Is there anything else to know about this mission?" asked Gai.

"Not that I can think of," said Tsunade with a shrug. "No, I think you're all set." She briefed them a bit more, about what the man was like, why they had to be his bodyguard, and so on.

Five minutes later, Team Gai had bowed to the Godame and left; they were now swiftly parting ways to get their needed weapons and provisions. They had planned to travel light; each only bringing a small pack. They were going to meet at the village gate.

After quickly gathering some food from the Hyuuga kitchen, Neji hurried off to meet the rest of his team at the gate. Lee and Gai were already there; he could hear Tenten running behind him, slightly out of breath.

"Now we're all here!" said Gai enthusiastically. "Let's go!"

The four shinobi turned and ran out of the village.

They started fast, but Tenten, who never had worked out as hard as the other three on endurance, began to tire. Neji could hear her pant, "Can we stop for a rest soon?"

"But Tenten, it's only been fifteen minutes since we've started sprinting!" said Lee. "Come on! Use the Spirit of Youth!"

"Right," puffed Tenten. "But I—I have to stop. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

"All right," replied Gai. "But if you don't come back in ten minutes, we'll come get you, okay?"

"Hai," said the weapons mistress, and stopped, leaning against a tree branch. The three boys quickly left her behind, though Lee kept looking back, making sure she was still there.

A few minutes later, the kunoichi hadn't caught up to them yet. Lee started looking back more often.

"It's been ten minutes," stated Lee abruptly. "Tenten's not back yet."

Suddenly, the piercing sound of a girl's scream split the air.

"Tenten," said Lee, Gai, and Neji in unison. Swiftly, they turned and headed towards the direction they'd heard the scream.

**Author's Note(s)**Five minutes ago, my entire story plot changed when I came up with this idea I was _totally _not planning to do. -shrugs- Oh well. It'll work, and I know where this is going to go, so…I'm all set!

The next chapter should be up sometime next week. I _hope_…

It'll probably longer than this one. I'm torn—it's easier to read shorter chapters, but long chapters can be fun to read too; you get more fanfic!

Like it? Hate it? Please tell me! And if there are any typos, or OOC-ness, _definitely_ tell me!

Oh, yeah, and if you would like a reply, leave a signed review or your email address, or I can PM you. Thanks!


	2. Skirmish

**Disclaimer** Don't own it. Never have, never will…

**Chapter Two: Skirmish**

Tenten looked at her foes, sizing them up. Only one of them, a man with black hair streaked with purple, was wearing a hitai-ate, but that didn't mean that the others weren't competent fighters; on the contrary, it seemed that they were quite capable of holding their own. However…with her many weapons…

_It's possible_, she thought, _that I stand a chance against these men._ She'd screamed earlier, hopefully alerting Lee, Gai, and Neji of her location and the fact that she was in trouble; she knew they'd come and help her. She knew that she'd be able to fight her enemies with little trouble; even so, though, she could probably use the help.

The one with the hitai-ate leaped at her, brandishing a large weapon of some kind. Nimbly she avoided it, leaping high into the air. She didn't want to reveal any more techniques of hers than necessary; she'd stick to avoiding the men's attacks for as long as she could.

The other men hurdled toward her. A particularly tall and thin one was holding eight shuriken, four in each hand; he hurled them at the kunoichi, who jumped out of the way.

The other men circled her, grinning viciously. Becoming frantic, Tenten spun in a circle so she could see them all at once. _Where are Neji, Lee, and Gai-sensei? _

The man with purple-streaked hair signaled something, and the six men attacked. Tenten jumped as high as she could possibly go, pulling some weapons out of her bag and hurling them at her assailants. Three weapons hit their target; the other three were dodged by the men.

"_Kohona Shôfu!"_

There was a green blur and then suddenly the three men who hadn't been hit by the kunoichi's weapons were on the ground. Lee was standing triumphantly, in his famed stance. Gai and Neji followed soon after, quickly getting the remaining three men down—though Tenten's weapons had hit them, they had not been seriously injured.

"Are you all right, Tenten?" Lee asked, coming over to her.

"Ye—" she began to say, but was cut off by a loud shout:

"OI! You forgot me!"

The man with the hitai-ate leapt at the four shinobi. They were on him in an instant, Gai and Lee using their taijutsu; Tenten with her weapons; Neji with his _Jyûken._ He was down in a flash. Lee quickly pinned him, disabling all movement. "Neji, would you like to do the honors?"

"Certainly," said Neji, and swiftly jabbed a point on the man's neck, knocking him out.

"What happened?" Gai asked Tenten.

Briefly, she explained what had occurred. "And thanks for coming," she said. "I didn't want to show them any of my techniques in case they were from another village." As she said that, however, she realized that that sounded ridiculously stupid. She should have been able to take care of her enemies by herself, not trust her teammates for help.

"You're welcome," said Gai. "Now, come on—we have to keep going. We have a mission."

They tied up the unconscious men and left them on various trees, and then prepared to leave, but out of nowhere, a voice stopped them:

"Ahh, you seem to be the winners of this round, hm? I suppose I didn't hire men strong enough for this task."

The voice was as cold and hard as ice, and now that Tenten thought about it, it was coming from above them. It sounded bizarrely amplified.

"What the…" Gai began.

There was a strong breeze; the trees' leaves rustled and some fell to the ground. The Kohona shinobi suddenly were thrown back by a strong gale of wind; looking closer, Tenten could see that it was rather like a tornado.

Then abruptly the wind stopped, and there was a man in their midst. He was taller than Gai, with long legs and shoulder-length bright blue hair tucked under a bandana. He was wearing black pants and a black shirt, and he had a hitai-ate tied around his left thigh; Tenten couldn't tell from her position on the ground what village he was from. He had two swords strapped to his back.

It seemed that the brown-haired girl had been the only one knocked to the ground; she stood as quickly as she could and, along with Lee, Gai, and Neji, glared at the man before them.

The stranger smirked. "You think you scare me? Intimidate, even? Do you?"

No one answered.

"Well, you don't," said the man. He pulled a sword from his back and pointed it at the members of Team Gai. "Dare you go up against me?"

"Name yourself," snarled Neji. "Who are you? Why do you oppose us?"

"I am Yamakawa Hiroshi. And I'm not going to answer the second question. No, not until you beat me—and you won't!"

"Think twice before you make that statement," said Neji calmly. "_Byakugan!_" Immediately, the familiar veins began to appear around the prodigy's eyes.

Tenten pulled out some of her weapons—not all of them; she didn't think the man was _that_ good. But she pulled out as many as she could spare. Lee and Gai settled into their famed fighting stance, and Neji did the same.

The man leered at the team. "You think I'm _frightened_ of you wimps? Never."

"All talk and no action is no fun," said Gai. "The Power of Youth will defeat you! Let's go, everyone!"

The members of Team Gai bounded toward their adversary, all of them yelling the names of the techniques they were using. They met in the middle, where the man had been standing.

The Kohona shinobi straightened and looked around. Hiroshi was nowhere in sight.

"Where'd he—" The Hyuuga didn't finish his question, because the man's voice came from above their heads once more.

"You think that will work on me?" he inquired icily. "Well, it won't!"

There was a black blur, and suddenly Hiroshi was standing in front of the four of them, sneering at them. And then, without warning, he grabbed Neji's right arm and yanked it behind the genius's back.

"Let go of my friend!" said Lee vehemently, stepping toward the enemy ninja.

Hiroshi laughed cruelly and quickly got the taijutsu master in the same hold as Neji was in. "No. I won't."

"Release my students," said Gai coldly, glaring at the man. "Now."

"I will do no such thing," replied Hiroshi. The man performed a complex set of hand signals, and there was another windstorm. The enemy ninja pulled Neji and Lee with him, out of the way of the strong gusts of wind.

There was a loud splintering sound, and Tenten was thrown back by an intense blast of air. She felt herself falling, falling, _falling_ towards the ground.

The kunoichi managed to grab onto a branch and stop her fall. Looking down, she saw some of her weapons plummeting toward the floor of the forest. She shuddered and closed her eyes, looking straight ahead.

She saw a blur of green, and suddenly Gai was falling past her. She stuck out her hand to her sensei, and he took it, nearly pulling them both down.

"Let's get to that branch down there," said Gai, and he jumped. Tenten followed. "Look up," said Gai tensely as soon as they were safely on the branch.

She did so, and saw a large black shape. Her eyes widened. It was a…

No. It couldn't be. That was impossible.

"Is that…" She trailed off, looking at Gai, who nodded.

"It's a dragon," he said.

Hiroshi's voice boomed from above: "I finally have Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee, the two highly acclaimed shinobi from Kohona! And now I can learn the secrets of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!"

There was another harsh gust of wind as the dragon flew into the sky and became nothing but a black speck in the distance.

**Author's Note:** Hehe, another cliffhanger! Please don't kill me!

Thanks for reading, and please review! I would definitely like to know if my action scenes are bad. Please tell me! Oh, and I can't quite remember what "Kohona Shôfu" means, so I'm sorry if I got it wrong!


	3. Arrival

**Disclaimer:** Nothing has changed since the last chapter. This is to say, I don't own the great series of Naruto! _(-sobs-)_

**Chapter Three: Arrival**

Neji had never even _seen_ a dragon before, let alone ridden on one. He hadn't even known that they existed, until about fifteen minutes ago, when Hiroshi had summoned the blue-gray beast.

The thing was huge: Its wings had taken them about a thousand feet in the air with one flap; they were moving faster than the Hyuuga had ever imagined. It was truly amazing.

Hiroshi seemed to be in a fine mood. The man was standing on the beast's head, his hands on his hips. He'd tied the two teenagers' wrists and ankles together, and tied a rope around each of their necks. Then he had tied the ropes to the dragon's horns.

"Where are you taking us?" Neji heard Lee ask. The prodigy sighed; this was at least the fourth time his teammate had asked, and Hiroshi still had yet to answer.

This time, however, the man in front of them said, "You'll see."

Neji didn't like the way he could _hear_ the smirk in the man's voice, but had little time to dwell on it as the dragon suddenly swooped down towards the earth.

Firmly repressing a yell of fear, the pale-eyed genin clenched his teeth. _Don't show any fear! Fear is weakness!_

Hiroshi looked almost sad as he surveyed the two ninja before him. "You're not scared, huh. Ah, well. We're almost there."

"Almost where?" asked Lee, but Hiroshi shook his head.

"Not going to tell you," he said, turning his back on the two genin and yelling, "Down!"

The dragon swooped again. Neji closed his eyes and breathed deeply and evenly as an attempt to stave off the nausea that came from going down at such a speed.

"And there it is," said Hiroshi, "the Hidden Village of the Clouds."

x-x-x

"What?" exclaimed the Godaime.

"Neji and Lee were captured by a man named Yamakawa Hiroshi, Hokage-sama," Gai said for the second time.

"I know. I heard you. But Lee and Neji—they were _captured_…That's im_possible_…"

Tenten agreed with Tsunade. Neji, the genius, and Lee, the taijutsu master…it didn't seem like they would be carted off to who knew where, possibly _tortured_ for information…

"But," said the Hokage, after a moment, "you never finished that mission I gave you before."

Now it was Tenten's turn to ask, "_What?_"

"That man and his family are still waiting for someone to pick them up," Tsunade said.

"Couldn't you ask another team to get them?" asked Tenten desperately. "Please!"

"I don't believe that I can do that," said the Hokage, but nevertheless she rummaged around in her stacks of papers and pulled out a paper. She scanned over it for a few seconds and then said, "Nope. There's no other team that's available that could handle this type of mission. It's up to you two. After you get back, though, and only then, you may search for your teammates."

Tenten bit her lip. "Fine."

She and Gai bowed to the Godaime and left her office. As soon as they were out of the building, Tenten kicked at a rock angrily. "This isn't _fair!_" she exploded. "It's _not!_"

"I know," said Gai. "But you heard Tsunade. We've got to finish this mission, but then—_then_ we can go find Neji and Lee! So let's go complete that mission, using the Power of Youth!"

"Right," said Tenten after a moment. "Let's go."

x-x-x

The Hidden Village of the Clouds was a great deal smaller than Konoha, though it was big nonetheless. There weren't as many shinobi walking around, and everyone was a great deal quieter; in the Leaf Village, someone or other was always yelling about something and making a big ruckus—namely Naruto.

But everyone here was exceptionally subdued, Neji observed as he was led through the streets by Hiroshi. Lee was next to him. Their wrists were still tied together.

Neji felt cold fury as he saw some of the older shinobi walking the streets of the village; one of them could have known the man who'd tried to kidnap Hinata, which had, in turn, led to his father's death…

He shook his head. _Stop thinking about that, Neji!_ he berated himself mentally, staring down at his sandals, noting that they were very scuffed.

"Ah. We're here," announced Hiroshi. Neji looked up.

They'd stopped right in front of a very _white_ building. It was very tall, nearly reaching the clouds, it seemed, and gleaming more than anything the prodigy had ever seen.

"What's this place?" asked Lee.

"Enough with the questions," snarled Hiroshi. "We're going inside, and if there is so much as a _word_ from either of you, you'll be incredibly sorry!"

Neji frowned. "And why is that?" he asked coldly. He was, in truth, a little uneasy, but of course he wouldn't ever let Hiroshi see this.

Hiroshi pulled something out of his pocket. It was long and thin, and sparkling in the sun—a needle, filled with some kind of translucent blue liquid. Neji hated the thought of being injected with a nameless fluid.

"Fine," he said as boldly as he could, returning his gaze to the building.

Hiroshi raised a hand and knocked seven times on the door. A keypad came out of it, and he typed a password. Then the door opened.

A woman was standing there. She looked young; she couldn't have been a day older than thirty. Her hair was short and orange and spiky and she could have passed for a boy if it hadn't been for her large hips and high voice as she said, "Hiroshi! I haven't seen you in _ages!_ Come in, come in!" She paused a moment, taking Lee and Neji in. "Ah. You've succeeded," she said in a businesslike tone. "Excellent."

Hiroshi smiled. Neji could only guess at what was going to happen inside, but there was nothing he could do; Hiroshi was still holding that needle.

The man from the Cloud Village led the two Konoha shinobi through the door and into a brightly lit, luxuriously furnished room. There were two crystal chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, and several statues made of what seemed to be gold. The doors were all made out of a dark red wood, and had extravagant doorknobs. Likewise, the rug was a rich, vibrant red.

But this room didn't seem to be the man's destination; he led the two boys across the room to a door. The woman followed him, digging into her shirt pocket for a ring of keys. She handed an old, rusty, small key to Hiroshi, who unlocked the door.

There was a long, dimly lit hallway, the floor of which was covered in an old, holey and very moldy carpet. The corridor smelled stale.

"Well, in we go!" said Hiroshi brightly, ushering the Konoha ninja into the hallway. "Thank you, Yuuna," he said to the lady, who in turn bowed and closed the door. Neji heard the lock click.

Hiroshi led them down the hallway. The passage was tomblike; none of the three shinobi made a sound as they walked and walked. Finally the man with the swords strapped to his back stopped at a gray door made of stone. He took a key out of his pocket—the woman named Yuuna must have slipped it to him—and unlocked the door. It swung open, revealing a cold, unfriendly-looking prison cell.

Hiroshi shoved the two genin into the chamber. "Sleep well, now," he said, deadpan. "Tomorrow the interrogation begins."

**Author's Note:** Was that good 'nuff, everyone? I know, I know…I've got to stop with all the cliffhangers _(-hangs head in shame-)._

Any typos you see, please tell me—I just realized that in Chapter One, I spelled "Godaime" "Godame." Whoops! And I also noticed that I was spelling "Konoha" "Kohona." Heh…forgive me!

And I can't post review responses here, but I really appreciate the reviewers…Thanks! And keep it up! (Hint, hint…heh.)


	4. Incarcerated

**Disclaimer:** I _still_ don't own Naruto.

**Chapter Four: Incarcerated**

The chamber door swung closed with a loud _clank_, leaving Lee and Neji in the darkness of their prison cell.

The two genin were lying sprawled on the floor; Hiroshi had pushed them hard enough to make the boys fall. Now they both sat up, gingerly testing their limbs to be sure that nothing was broken.

"Are you okay?" Lee asked. His voice echoed, giving it an eerie quality in the darkness.

"Fine, I think," he heard Neji say.

"Do you know any jutsu that could create light?"

Neji thought for a moment. "Besides Sasuke's fireball jutsu? No, I don't."

"Can you use your Byakugan to see where we are?"

"No. Besides, I_ know_ where we are. We're in…in…"

"You do not have to say it, Neij," Lee began.

But Neji finished, his voice shaking and lowered to a whisper, "The Hidden Village of the Clouds."

x-x-x

Tenten and Gai jumped from tree branch to tree branch as quickly as they could. Tenten wanted to scream, "Hurry _up_, Gai-sensei! _Hurry up!_"

But she knew that Gai probably wanted to yell that at her too. After all, she was always the one who wanted to stop or rest or slow down—and look where that had gotten her teammates. So she ignored the burning stitch on her right side, and the shortness of her gulps of air.

"How—far—is—this—village?" she panted between breaths.

"A few more miles," said Gai. "We won't be able to get there tonight. We'll have to stop and make camp."

Tenten was partially happy about this—it meant that she would be able to catch her breath, but it also meant that the time it took to find Neji and Lee would be prolonged.

They continued until it was dark. Normally, being ninja, they would have continued, but after a day of constant running, both ninja and kunoichi were tired.

After getting a few hours of fitful rest, the two departed again in the direction of the Hidden Village of the Clouds.

x-x-x

Neji and Lee both drifted off a few hours later in their damp cell. It was difficult to find a place to sleep; the floor was wet with some kind of sticky glowing goo that neither genin wanted to contemplate.

They were awakened by the creaking and groaning of the door's hinges; Hiroshi had come back. The Hyuuga forced his eyes open—he would _not_ appear to be half-asleep in front of the enemy.

But it wasn't Hiroshi who was standing at the door. It was a much shorter man, with hair cropped short, just longer than chin-length. It was impossible to tell its color in the gloom.

"Our prisoners, Yasuo-sama." That was Hiroshi's voice, sleek. "Yours now."

"Thank you, Hiroshi-san," said the man named Yasuo. His voice was low and quiet and even, with such a sense of authority it was startling.

The shorter man entered the chamber. Neji heard retreating footsteps that had to be Hiroshi's, walking back towards the entrance of the long hallway.

"Which one of you is Hyuuga Neji?" asked Yasuo.

Neither boy answered. The man took a step forward into the chamber, menacingly. "I asked, _which one of you is Hyuuga Neji?_" His voice no longer held any hint of pleasantry; it was as hard and cold as ice. "Tell me."

There was not a word from either boy. Yasuo took a small blade out of his sleeve. It glinted in what little light there was in the chamber. "Tell me," he repeated. "This is poisoned."

"Fine," said Lee boldly, standing.

"_What?_" Neji said loudly. "But—"

"If he wants me, then I will go with him," Lee announced. "Good-bye."

It was possible to _hear_ the smile in Yasuo's voice as he said, "Very well. Thank you."

All Neji could do was stare in shock as the door closed behind Yasuo and Lee with an ominous _clank_.

**Author's Note:** I'm cutting this chapter short, because I can stretch out Interrogation Day as long as I want! Hehe.

Also, I'm putting this story on hiatus; something's come up and I won't be able to get any more chapters up for about two months. Sorry, but that's the way it's got to be.

So, till December or so!


	5. Return

**Author's Note:** And I'm baaack! Sorry for the long delay. I was looking at the calendar and I was like, "It's December already??"

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter! And again, it would mean so much if you would review, so please do so!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter Five: Return**

For minutes after the door closed, Neji only stared in shock at the light that had been there only minutes before. Where _Lee_ had been…

He shook his head, his first movement since Yasuo had left, taking Lee with him to who knew where…

Neji slammed his fist on the cold, damp floor so hard that he felt the skin break. A droplet of blood dripped down his fingers and fell to the floor.

x-x-x

Hours passed and Lee still didn't come back. Neji's hand had long since stopped bleeding, but it ached. While the Hyuuga was sure it wasn't broken, it was definitely going to bruise, and badly. It throbbed from time to time, but Neji paid it little attention: he was far more worried about Lee.

Then there was a rough, dry grating and the door swung open, flooding the dank cell with light that made Neji's eyes ache; he winced.

There were two outlines standing in the doorway, one of them sagging limply against the other. Neji's eyes, which were now used to the light, widened as he realized that the limp figure was no other than Lee.

He was on his feet in a second. "What did you do to him?" he demanded, his voice icy.

Lee managed to say, his voice dry and rasping, "Don't. It's not worth it."

Yasuo—for that was exactly who the other figure was—threw Lee to the floor of the cell. The other genin landed in an undignified heap, unmoving; Neji could see that the skin of his face was discolored with fresh bruising.

"I taught him a little lesson," said Yasuo, his voice as casual as though he and Neji were from the same village and discussing techniques over ramen. "He wouldn't answer my questions. So now it's your turn, _Neji_. Yes, I know who you are. You need to come with me to answer the questions that your friend could not. Now get over here," he said, his voice turning hard as he took a menacing step into the cell.

By this time, Lee had managed to struggle into a sitting position. "Don't," he said again, and there was clearly pain underlying his plea.

"Oh, but you will, won't you, little ninja?" said Yasuo, his voice smooth; it was clear that he was smiling, though it was nigh impossible to tell in the gloom.

Then the man swung the door of the cell closed; it slammed shut with a hollow _clang_, leaving the cell and its occupants in complete darkness.

Neji's first instinct was to use his Byakugan, but then he realized that since these people were from the Hidden Village of the Clouds, it was entirely possible that they still wanted the secret of the Hyuuga clan. So instead of being able to see, he sacrificed his sight for the better of his clan.

But this did not come at a price. On the contrary, the Hyuuga suddenly heard the cold whisper next to his ear: "You're still coming with me."

Then he felt a hand, as cold as its owner's voice, grab the back of his shirt's collar and pull, hard. He was yanked to his feet immediately, but lashed out with his left leg, smiling grimly as he felt his leg strike something soft, the man's stomach from the feel of it.

Immediately he was dropped, and all his senses were alert for any indications that Yasuo was nearby. For a moment there was not a sound in the dark but Lee's breathing; Neji himself was holding his breath, and if his leg had indeed hit Yasuo's stomach, the older man no doubt had no breath.

But then Lee cried out and Neji whirled around; the sound had come from behind him.

Yasuo's voice informed Neji, "I've got your friend. I think you might consider your options a bit more now."

Neji grit his teeth, torn. He wanted nothing more to beat this man for injuring his friend, but knew that if he jumped at Yasuo now, the man would probably do something worse to Lee, and there was no way that Neji wanted that.

He put down his hands, letting them hang limply at his side. "Fine. I'll go with you if I must." He suspected that he would go through hell, but there was little to nothing that he could do, because he didn't want Lee to suffer any more than he previously had. "But put down my friend."

"Come over to me first," commanded Yasuo, and the sneer was evident in his voice.

Neji grimaced, but there wasn't much that he could do, so he braced himself and walked in the direction that Yasuo's voice was coming from.

A hand came down and grabbed his collar again, but unlike before the Hyuuga didn't react.

"Excellent," said Yasuo. There was a muffled thump and a groan; he seemed to have dropped Lee. "Well, we'll be on our way. Come on, Hyuuga. You're going to answer some questions."

x-x-x

Yasuo led Neji down the same hallway he had originally come in, but in the opposite direction this time. He had placed some kind of wards on the genin's wrist, rendering his chakra useless. There was some sort of invisible pull to the wards; as Yasuo walked, it was impossible for Neji to not follow.

Finally, they reached a metal door that had many intricate carvings engraved into it. The door was tall, the top of it being several feet above Neji's head.

Yasuo clapped his hands together, murmured an incantation of some sort, and then placed both his palms flat on the door. It opened swiftly, sucking some of the air in the hallway out and leaving Neji with a chilled feeling.

"Follow me," commanded Yasuo, and Neji had no choice but to do so.

Inside the room was even colder than it had been in the cell, and Neji found himself shivering against his will. The room had a ceiling that was about the same height of the door, and there were large, stained-glass windows on each wall. There were a table and a chair at the far end of the room; Yasuo walked toward them and ordered, "Sit. Now."

With a glare at the man, Neji did so.

"And now," said Yasuo, "let the interrogations begin."

**Author's Note:** Yes, I am quite evil. But I must say, at least I'm updating!

The next chapter should be out much sooner than usual, because now _I_ want to write what happens next (I already _know_ what happens next, but I still have to write it).

And on your way out, I'd love it if you could review:o) If you'd like a reply, please leave either a signed review or your email address. Thanks!


	6. Interrogation

Ahh!! I lied! It's nearly been two weeks since I last updated! I'm so sorry! But it was so difficult to find the time to do this, because there're also a few non-fanfiction works that I'm currently writing, and…well, this slipped my mind a bit. Again, I'm sorry!

But anyway, onto the story.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter Six: Interrogation**

Tenten was short of breath again; she couldn't seem to regain her ability to breathe while she was flitting through trees constantly. She almost complained of this to Gai, but decided against it; to stop would cost time that they probably could not afford to spend.

And then suddenly, right in front of them, was the Hidden Village of the Clouds. Or, at least, what Tenten assumed was the Cloud Village. She had never seen it before, but since that was their destination and there were no other villages nearby, it was a good guess that this was where they were supposed to be.

Gai stopped right outside the city. "This is it, Tenten," he said, not a bit breathless. "The Hidden Village of the Clouds." He thought for a moment, and then said, "The man we're supposed to find should be this way." He pointed south. "Come on."

Tenten took as deep a breath as she was able, and ran after her sensei towards the village.

x-x-x

Now it was Lee's turn to wait in the cell, Neji realized humorlessly as Yasuo stared at him. Then the other man's mouth opened, and he asked his first question. "You _are_ of the Hyuuga Clan, are you not?"

Neji didn't answer; he just stared Yasuo straight in the eye and kept his mouth firmly closed.

"I asked you a question, boy," said Yasuo, his voice raising such a tiny bit that the change was nearly undetectable.

"You already know the answer," said Neji, his voice empty of emotion. "Why are you asking a question if you already know its answer?"

"I wished to be certain," said Yasuo. "But now, Hyuuga Neji, I am going to find the secret of the Byakugan."

So that was what they were after, for sure. Neji said nothing.

Yasuo stood. "Excellent. I'm glad that we agree." He smiled, mirthlessly. "Now you're going to fight me."

Neji stood as well, by his own choice, and said, "I won't."

"You will," said Yasuo.

"I won't," repeated Neji calmly.

"Enough," said Yasuo, but his voice was still calm and not sharp in the least. He jumped at Neji, but it was as though he were doing it casually, and not really attacking.

But instinct kicked in and Neji found himself responding before he could do anything, jumping out of the way and landing behind Yasuo, both hands raised. Silently berating himself, Neji didn't move, instead standing in the trademark Hyuuga stance and glaring at Yasuo.

"Now, now, can't have that," said the man, effortlessly turning and jumping at Neji, again casually but in a ruthless way.

The Hyuuga dodged again, but too slowly; Yasuo's right fist caught the genin's jaw. Neji winced and a tiny smile flitted across Yasuo's face before disappearing as the taller man jumped at Neji again.

Neji barely jumped out of the way in time as he realized that Yasuo had drawn six kunai out of his pockets; he was holding three in each hand between his fingers. Whipping his hands viciously toward Neji, the kunai flew.

There was no way to dodge; Yasuo had been too close when he had thrown the knives. Two of the kunai flew into Neji's right arm; another lodged in his left shoulder. The genin grit his teeth at the pain that blossomed from the weapons.

A drop of blood hit the floor, followed soon after by a few more, but Neji didn't have any time to worry about this as Yasuo jumped at him again and the genin dodged the best he could with three kunai lodged in his upper body.

But his best wasn't good enough, and Yasuo was on him before the Hyuuga had time to react. And there was only one thing he could do, if he wanted to survive…

"Byakugan!"

A slow smile spread across Yasuo's face and he stopped attacking. "That's right," he said, with a malicious grin. "Thank you."

He stood up, dusting imaginary dirt off his front. Neji stood, though his movements were unsure and shaky, and faced the taller man before him, raising both hands to continue the fight.

Yasuo grinned at him, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, which remained cold and emotionless—except for one barely noticeable spark of something that seemed foreboding. Pulling out three more kunai, he held them in his left hand and hurled them at Neji.

There wasn't enough time to dodge, and Neji knew it; there wasn't even enough time to do his famous _kaiten_ defense. It was all he could do to not let the kunai hit vital points, and he tried his hardest to make that happen.

One of the kunai landed in his left forearm, and he grimaced at the pain it caused—but didn't have much time to linger on the pain because the one of the two remaining kunai hit his right forearm this time, but bounced off; the other missed him completely.

Yasuo was grinning, but his image was blurring; Neji could plainly see that there were _two_ men grinning at him with that strange, leering grin…

_Poison_, Neji realized as his vision blurred even more than it had before. He felt himself swaying and struggled to keep a grip on his consciousness, but the world was fading…

And then he fell.

x-x-x

"The man and his family should be right ahead," said Gai, pointing. Tenten just nodded, too breathless to reply in words.

Sure enough, there was a man not too far ahead, standing next to a woman and a small child. There were three small bags set on the ground next to them. As they got closer, Tenten could see that the man was rather short, and that his hair was a dark shade of blue. His wife was very thin, and very pale, as though she had just recovered from a long and taxing sickness. Her hair was a dark brown. Their child was small but energetic-looking, smiling and jumping around. He had streaks of blue in his brown hair and wide, curious green eyes.

As Tenten and Gai approached, the little boy bounded up to them and said, "I'm Takuo and I'm four! Who are you?"

Gai laughed. "The abundance of the Power of Youth!" he said. "I'm Gai and this is my youthful apprentice Tenten!"

"Now, now, Takuo," said his mother in a soft voice.

"It's fine," Tenten managed to say, breathless. "He's not bothering us."

Gai introduced himself to the man, whose name was Makoto, and his wife, whose name was Ayame, and then said, "Well, let's get going! If we hurry, we can get back to Konoha tonight!"

"But, Gai-sensei—" Tenten started to protest, knowing that it wouldn't be right to push Takuo or Ayame to go that fast.

But Gai was already off, having picked up two of the family's bags in one hand and motioning that Tenten take the other. She did just that, knowing that there was no way she would be able to persuade Gai to let the poor family rest.

And then they were off, leaving the Cloud Village behind them.

**Author's Notes:** Again, I am so sorry that this took so long! Gah. I tried to make it extra-long, but I had to end it sometime.

Were there any spelling/grammar/characterization errors? If there were, please tell me and I'll fix them as soon as I can. And tell me what you think so far!

If you'd like a reply to your review, please leave a signed review or an email address. Thanks!


	7. Return to the Cloud Village

Here's the next chapter! Hope you all had a good new year. I was planning to finish this up on New Year's Eve, but I stayed late at a friend's house and that prevented me from finishing this up. Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Chapter Seven: Return to the Cloud Village**

It took nearly two days to complete the trip to Konoha, mainly because of Ayame and Takuo, who simply could not be pushed to go far as fast as Tenten and Gai could. Makoto managed to stay only slightly behind the two Konoha ninja, but even he was lagging in pace.

They made it eventually, though, and reported to Tsunade immediately. Inside her office, there was another jounin; he took the small family to their new safe-house, leaving Tenten and Gai alone in Tsunade's office.

"So, I trust that you haven't found Lee and Neji yet," Tsunade said.

"Right," said Gai. "But we're going to go look for them immediately after this. The Power of Youth will allow us to find them with ease!"

"You going to need any help with that?"

"Of course not," said Gai indignantly. "Tenten and I are perfectly capable to use our Youthful Power to save Lee and Neji!"

Tenten just nodded, smiling briefly as Gai continued his speech about youth and power.

"Gai," interrupted Tsunade. "Are you sure about not wanting any help?"

"Yes, positive," said Gai. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Hokage-sama, we'll be leaving now." He bowed and then turned towards the door. "Ready, Tenten?"

"Ready," she repeated and bowed to Tsunade. "Let's go."

"Wait," said Tsunade suddenly. "You're going to need traveling documents so that you'll be able to make it into the village without being arrested." She scribbled something that seemed to be a signature on a few papers and then handed them to Gai. "Here."

"Thank you," said Gai. "Now let's find Lee and Neji!"

x-x-x

Tenten and Gai traveled for the rest of the day and then stopped for the night. When they woke after a short sleep, the sky above threatened rain.

"We must hurry!" said Gai as he and Tenten gathered the things they'd brought with them. They finished and then headed in the direction of the Cloud Village.

They had been heading towards the village for perhaps twenty minutes when the first raindrop fell.

"We have to go faster!" said Tenten, not wanting to get stuck in the rain. Granted, she didn't want to speed up—she was already doing everything in her power to keep up with Gai—but she didn't want to get sick from being in the rain for too long and waste even more time.

Gai shot her a questioning glance and then upped his pace, leaping ahead of her to the next branch; Tenten immediately regretted that she'd said anything and tried to catch up to her sensei.

x-x-x

Lee didn't care about the pain his injuries were causing him as he did repetitive push-ups, trying to stop worrying about Neji and at the same time wondering when he would come back.

Because he _would _come back. He had to.

x-x-x

The rain was pouring down steadily from the sky as Tenten and Gai reached the Hidden Village of the Clouds for the third time since they had been assigned the mission in the first place. Tenten could hardly stand up due to exhaustion; instead of slowing a little—she'd thought he might get tired eventually, but that was not the case—Gai had just sped up.

But they had stopped the insane speed, because Tenten had suggested, breathlessly, that they not come crashing into the Cloud Village at top speed and instead go in as inconspicuously as was possible. Just because they were legally allowed into the village didn't mean that they had to come in with a big crash or anything of the sort.

As they approached the gate that led into the village, there were three figures visible through the rain—one was significantly taller than the other two, and Tenten thought that maybe the person was even taller than Gai was. The other two were rather short, but still tall by human standards.

The three figures—Tenten couldn't tell whether they were male or female—were walking towards Tenten and Gai and in turn becoming more visible; all three were men, and all of them were wearing hitai-ate.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the tallest one demanded in a deep voice.

Gai pulled out the documents that Tsunade had signed and held them out to the shinobi, who took them and scanned them briefly, squinting as the rain made it difficult to see and smeared the ink.

"Very well, then," he said. "Go on in. I'll keep these."

Gai thanked him and Tenten followed suit as the two of them made their way through the gates of the Hidden Village of the Clouds.

**Author's Note:** That felt like a good place to call it quits. For any of you who are interested in what Neji's up to, he'll be coming up next chapter. There'll be maybe six or seven more chapters and then this'll be wrapped up (if I'm any good at estimating, that is…).

If you see any abnormalities in the characters/story, typos, OOC-ness, or weird wording, tell me!

Thanks. And review please!


	8. Delirium

Well, would you look at that! _Camaraderie_ is actually being updated::faints::

I'm sorry for the wait. I was on the computer today, and I looked at when I last posted—sometime in December. Yeesh. I took _forever_ with this. My apologies! I tried making this a little longer than usual to make up for the wait, but it's not all that long. I hope you like it anyway! I liked this chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any of Kishimoto's characters. I do own Yasuo, however.

**Chapter Eight: Delirium**

It was hot. And it was cold.

And wet.

Neji's vision blurred in and out of focus, and the only thing that he could tell for sure was that _something wasn't right_.

He heard a voice, or at least he thought he did, from above him, calling his name, and tried to answer, to hold onto that wisp of reality—but it was all so hot. And cold. And wet.

With a groan, Neji's eyes slid shut as he returned to the black world of unconsciousness.

x-x-x

The next time he woke up, he was shivering uncontrollably, and was vaguely aware of hands struggling to hold him down. He fought the hands, struggling to get out of their grasp, but they remained on his shoulders.

And he heard his name being called again.

This time, he opened his eyes, struggling against their pull and the desire to just _sleep_, and saw a blur of green above him, and darkness, though the dark interior of the room which he was in and everything in it seemed to have a bright quality to it. Everything was hurting his eyes, and so he shut them with a soft moan of discomfort.

_Neji. Answer me._

There was that voice, he realized blearily, struggling to open his eyes again.

_Neji! Don't sleep now!_

But he couldn't help it. His eyes drifted closed.

x-x-x

When he awoke next, the horrible feeling of heat and cold at the same time had vanished, and his mind was relatively clear. He forced his eyes to open, and saw that same blur of green as before—but this time, he could see dull red and a pale flesh color…

Lee. That was Lee.

"Lee," croaked Neji, his throat protesting the effort.

He saw his teammate's eyes light up as Lee grinned. "You woke up," he said, and the relief was evident in his eyes.

"Yeah," said Neji hoarsely. "Where…where are we?"

"The cell, still," said Lee. "It's been three days."

"Three…three days?"

"Yes," said Lee, wincing. "I…I think that some of your injuries are infected, Neji. Especially the one on your shoulder."

Neji felt his left shoulder—it was indeed quite warm and horribly tender to the touch; he winced, pulling his arm away.

"I tried to bandage it, but I was low on supplies," said Lee.

"It's fine. What…what about yours?" said Neji. "Are…you okay?"

"Yes. I am fine."

"Good," said Neji, managing a weak, tired smile.

There was a pause, and the cell was silent save for the occasional dripping of water in the corner.

Then Lee said, "We'll have to get out of here somehow, Neji."

"I know," said Neji, frowning as he tried to figure out a way to escape.

But before any plans formed in his mind, the door crashed open, and Neji turned to see Yasuo standing in the doorway.

x-x-x

It was still raining, and so Gai and Tenten decided to stop at a ramen stand to ask some people if they had seen Neji or Lee—or both of them.

They took off their hitai-ate, stashing them in their pouches, and proceeded to the nearest stand, a small place but a busy one nonetheless.

Sitting at the counter, they ordered two bowls of ramen. While they were waiting for their food, a woman wearing a shawl over her head came in and sat down at the only available seat, which was next to Gai. He nodded at the woman, and she smiled at him briefly before placing her own order.

A few minutes passed, and Gai said to the woman, "We're looking for two boys. They have the very appearance of youth, and we believe that they are being held captive in this village."

"One has long brown hair, and the other has black," added Tenten, leaning over Gai. "Have you seen them?"

The woman thought for a few minutes. "I don't think so," she answered. "But I think that if someone was going to be held captive here, they'd be kept in Yasuo's mansion. It's that big place over there." She gestured in the mansion's general direction.

"Thank you," said Tenten and Gai in unison, smiling.

"Might—might they be hurt?" the woman asked a bit hesitantly, lowering her voice. "I really shouldn't help outsiders, but…I'm a doctor, and I might be able to help if they're injured."

"We appreciate it!" said Gai rather loudly, smiling so that his teeth gleamed. "Thank you!"

After the three had eaten, they made their way to Yasuo's mansion.

The woman, who had introduced herself on the way as Tetsu, knocked on the door. It was answered by a short, balding man who wasn't smiling. "What is it?" he said. "Are you here to see Yasuo-sama?"

"Yes," said Tetsu firmly.

"How come?" asked the man.

"We think that there are boys being held captive here," Tetsu replied evenly. "Would that be true?"

"No," said the man, glaring at them. "I can assure you, there are no boys here."

x-x-x

"You're awake," said Yasuo, grinning in the dim light caused by the open door. "Do you feel up to fighting again?"

Neji just shook his head. Maybe if he played dumb, Yasuo would leave him alone—and leave Lee alone. It was the coward's way out in his opinion, but sometimes the coward's way was best.

But it wasn't meant to be. Yasuo took a step forward, bending down so he was at Neji's height and prodding—_hard!_—the genin's wounded left shoulder.

Pain coursed all through his body, and he cried out, attempting to curl in on himself. It _hurt_.

"Did that hurt, little genin?" said Yasuo.

"Stop!" commanded Lee, and Neji saw him standing.

Yasuo stood, and at first, Neji thought he was going to leave, but then the man took his booted left foot and planted his heel squarely on Neji's injured shoulder,

And then Neji couldn't help it. He screamed.

**Author's Notes:** Again, sorry about the wait, everyone. And if any of you are interested in my progress on this thing, it can be found at my LiveJournal account: (gyatso15(dot)livejournal(dot)com). I update the thing maybe once a week. And if you'd like to friend me, go ahead! Generally, I'll friend you back.

Thanks for reading, and please review!


	9. Convergence

Sorry for the wait. I sort of had other things to do; a drabble contest, among other things (which explains the length of this chapter. I'm sorry it's so short!). Anyway—onto the story!

**Disclaimer:** I am simply a humble author, trying to finish a fanfiction story. I don't own Naruto.

Chapter Nine: Convergence 

Tenten, Gai, and Tetsu were about to walk down the lavish steps of the mansion when they heard a loud scream. Tenten turned, her eyes widening.

"That was Neji!" she cried. "I'm sure of it! Come on. We've got to get inside!"

The balding man wore an expression of horror, shock, and rage, and tried to slam the door on them, but Gai put out one of his feet, and stopped the door from closing. "Let us in," Tenten's sensei demanded.

The balding man just nodded, realizing that there was no way he'd be able to fight Gai.

Tetsu followed as Tenten and Gai raced into the mansion.

x-x-x

Neji slumped to the floor, his eyes closing. Lee glared at Yasuo.

"Now the little green man wants a fight!" said Yasuo with much glee. "I'll give it to you." Grinning, he started to make hand signs, but Lee didn't give him a chance; he leapt at the taller man, kicking at his abdomen.

Yasuo got out of the way, but his hands stopped moving, Lee noted with satisfaction. Now, if he could only keep him occupied until help came…

He grit his teeth, and started to unwrap the bandages around his forearms.

x-x-x

Gai was fastest as the trio raced through the halls of the mansion, trying doors to no avail—they led to bedrooms, or fine living rooms; none of them seemed like a place where prisoners would be kept.

"In here!" said Tetsu finally, pointing to a door that led to a dank corridor.

Gai and Tenten followed her as she ran down the hall. Then, after a few moments, she stopped, clearly listening for something.

"There's a fight down there!" she exclaimed, and ran with renewed vigor towards the sounds of battle.

Up ahead, a tall silhouette was visible—and a smaller one, as well, jumping lightning-fast around the taller figure.

_Lee! _Tenten realized. _So Neji's nearby too!_

Gai rushed ahead, crashing into the taller man; the impact was enough to send Gai's foe into the wall. He crumpled to the floor, and Lee stopped halfway through his attack, looking at Gai.

"Gai-sensei?" he said, his eyes widening.

"It is me, my youthful student!" said Gai, embracing Lee. "Where is Neji?"

Lee pointed left. "In there," he said, gesturing towards the cell.

"You're hurt!" said Tenten as she came up to Lee.

"It's not anything much," said Lee, rewrapping his arms with bandages. "Neji is worse off."

"What happened?" asked Tetsu, arriving last. "Who's hurt?"

"Our teammate," Tenten answered.

Gai came out of the cell; Neji was leaning on him heavily, but conscious. The wound that Yasuo had inflicted was bleeding sluggishly, drops of blood spattering on the floor every now and then.

"Let's take care of him before we leave," said Tenten, looking towards the man out cold on the floor.

They tied him up and Gai slung his comatose body over one shoulder. "We can turn him in to the Konoha authorities," he said. "Unless…Neji, did he say that he was ordered by the Hidden Village of the Clouds to kidnap you?"

"No," said Neji hoarsely. "Just that he…wanted the secret…of the…Byakugan."

Gai nodded. "We'll bring him to the Cloud Village Council of Elders, then," he said. "Let's go."

x-x-x

Once Yasuo was taken care of, Tetsu insisted that Lee and Neji receive medical attention. She brought them to her house, where she patched up their wounds. They stayed there for the rest of the day and the night; in the morning, they got their things, thanked Tetsu for all she'd done, and headed to the Council of Elders to see what had become of Yasuo.

They found out upon arriving that he was no longer considered a ninja, and that he would be banished from the Cloud Village for committing his crime. The leader of the village insisted that he had not been after the secret of the Byakugan, and that no one in the future would try and achieve the secret.

After that visit, Team Gai thanked Tetsu once more and then walked to the gate, out of the village, and towards Konoha. They were going home.

**The End**

**Author's Notes:** So. I started to write this, and figured, _Okay, maybe there'll be a few chapters after this, to tie it all up._ But I started writing this, and got halfway through when I realized that there wasn't too much _to_ tie up. So it's finished. I hope you all enjoyed the journey!

Now, if you see anything that I didn't tie up, anything that's OOC or non-canon, please tell me. I'll fix it as soon as possible.


End file.
